Illinois Administrative Code
Title 77 - PUBLIC HEALTH
Part 515 - EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, TRAUMA CENTER, COMPREHENSIVE STROKE CENTER, PRIMARY STROKE CENTER AND ACUTE STROKE READY HOSPITAL CODE
Subpart C - EMS SYSTEMS
Section 515.410 - EMS System Communications
Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 12, March 22, 2024
a) The System's communications plan shall be submitted for approval to the Department's EMS Communications staff, and shall include the following in accordance with 47 CFR 90(1994):
b) EMS telecommunications equipment shall be configured to allow the EMS Medical Director, or designee, to monitor all vehicle to hospital transmissions and hospital-to-vehicle transmissions within the System.
c) Resource and Associate Hospitals shall have an operational control point for a Medical Emergency Communications of Illinois (MERCI) VHF/UHF base station, telemetry receiving and monitoring and any Associate to Resource Hospital intercom lines.
d) Physician direction shall be provided from the operational control point of an approved Resource or Associate Hospital. All medical orders/direction given shall be taped.
e) Telecommunications equipment necessary to fulfill the requirements of this Part shall be staffed and maintained 24 hours every day, including VHF and UHF base stations and their required telephone equipment.
f) EMS System personnel shall be capable of properly operating their respective communications equipment.
g) All telecommunications equipment shall be maintained to minimize breakdowns. Procedures shall be established to provide immediate action to be taken by operating personnel to ensure rapid restoration in case breakdowns do occur.
h) Written protocols shall describe communications procedures for operation of the System, all base station control points, and field units. These protocols shall contain provisions for limiting the time of individual radio transmissions to include only necessary information transfer (i.e., short telemetry strips). Mobile base control points and mobile units shall have an easily accessible copy of the protocols pertaining to their stations.
i) Written protocols shall include a requirement that before terminating communications with medical control, pre-hospital personnel must notify medical control of a method by which the ambulance can be re-contacted, and must set its communications equipment so as to be able to receive a call from medical control.
j) The Department shall approve channel assignments, ERP, antenna height and locations, and tones in new Systems to ensure radio coverage in approved program service areas without causing interference in existing Systems.
k) The Department shall monitor and may require modifications in channel assignments, tones, antenna height and locations, and ERP to correct documented radio interference problems.